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he first day of the Bangalore Test was a perfect one for neutrals as the New Zealand had their most productive day of the series, setting up a challenge for India’s batsmen over the weekend

Siddarth Ravindran in Bangalore31-Aug-2012The first day of the Bangalore Test was a perfect one for neutrals as the underdogs New Zealand had their most productive day of the series, setting up a challenge for India’s batsmen over the weekend. New Zealand fans will be thrilled with the scoreline of 328 for 6, but India weren’t too disheartened after a day on which they were distinctly second-best.The track at the Chinnaswamy Stadium is traditionally batting friendly – the last time a team batting first didn’t make 400 was back in 2001 when England made 336 – and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha was confident India could match any score New Zealand put up. “The way things are going it’s a good wicket to bat,” he said after the first day’s play. “The kind of batting we have, I am quite confident we can put up a good score.”India could have eroded New Zealand’s advantage had they managed to prise apart a quick 82-run stand for the seventh wicket between Kruger van Wyk and Doug Bracewell in the third session, but Ojha was satisfied with India’s bowling performance. “It was a good first-day wicket and in this kind of surface, they were trying to be aggressive. I think that is what their game plan was. Ross [Taylor] played quite well too. Nevertheless, we picked up six wickets today.”New Zealand maintained a punishing run-rate through much of the day, picking on fast bowler Umesh Yadav in particular. Yadav was generally either too short or too full, gifting boundary-balls in nearly every over as he was taken for almost six an over. The rest of the attack too looked clueless during the hour after lunch when Taylor and Daniel Flynn were scoring at seven an over. Ojha, though, was adamant the bowling didn’t lack discipline.”Zak [Zaheer Khan] bowled superbly in his first spell,” he said. “There was one catch dropped (Martin Guptill was put down by Virat Kohli at third slip in the 10th over), and if that had been taken then it would have been a different story as at that time the pitch was doing a bit. I think Ash [R Ashwin] and Umesh bowled well too. Taking six wickets on this kind of a wicket, which is not doing much, was a good effort.”While the consensus was that it was a bat-first surface, the quicks were expected to get some assistance in the first hour before the track eased out. To everyone’s surprise, though, MS Dhoni decided to open the bowling with Ojha, the first time India have started an innings with a specialist spinner. Ojha didn’t pick up any wickets with the new ball, but explained the thinking behind the unexpected move. “There was some moisture on the wicket and sometime when there is moisture the ball grips, so we wanted to make use of that.”New Zealand opener Guptill was nearly dismissed by Ojha in the third over, when an edge flew past slip, after which he decided to attack the spinner. “I was a little bit surprised (when Ojha opened the bowling),” Guptill said. “We got some interesting balls early on but we were able to get over it.”While his 53 and Taylor’s blistering century have set New Zealand on course for a competitive total, Guptill was aware his side still had plenty to do. “We have to keep up the positive intent. If we put 400-450 on the board and attack them then it’s going to put some pressure on India,” he said. “There is a bit of swing and seam on this wicket and if we can pick up a few wickets early on, it’ll be great.”Ahead of the Test, New Zealand captain Taylor had spoken about how one bad session is enough to ruin a Test; the weekend will show whether his side can sustain their performance after a strong start.

Sri Lanka and Australia will each want to set the tone for the tour with a first-up Twenty20 victory, as much to build confidence in their transitional teams as to get their opponents worried

The Preview by Daniel Brettig05-Aug-2011

Match facts

August 6, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
Start time 19:00 (13:30 GMT, 23:30 EST)

Big Picture

Australia commence their tour of Sri Lanka under a captain, Cameron White, who will be flying home once the Twenty20 matches have concluded. Sri Lanka, by contrast will be led in all three formats by Tillakaratne Dilshan, leading the team at home for the first time after taking over the reins for the England tour earlier this year.Until a narrow victory over England in the second of two T20 matches following the Ashes, Australia’s form in the shortest format had been poor, losing comfortably to the Sri Lankans in Perth last October and suffering a 2-0 series reverse against Pakistan in England during the 2010 northern summer. Michael Clarke’s retirement from international T20 matches handed the captaincy to White, and he will now be hoping to get the tourists off to a strong start in Kandy.The Sri Lankans have done rather better of late, defeating England in England, but that was their first T20 international since the aforementioned defeat of Australia at the WACA. Lasith Malinga’s unavailability is a significant loss for the hosts, particularly as the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium and its new pitches have the potential for greater pace than most other surfaces on the island.Both sides will want to set the tone for the tour with a first-up victory, as much to build confidence in their transitional teams as to get their opponents worried.

Form guide

Sri Lanka WWWLL
Australia WLLLL

In the spotlight

Angelo Mathews missed the Test series against Engalnd due to injury but eased his way back into some form during the subsequent limited overs matches to demonstrate why he was entrusted with the vice-captaincy before his 24th birthday. Explosive with the bat and intelligent with the ball, he played a key role in lifting the Sri Lankans to a memorable ODI victory over Australia at the MCG last year and will want to repeat the dose on home soil.Steve O’Keefe, like his captain White, is only in Sri Lanka for the T20 matches, and is intent on showing that he should have been allowed to stay on. Peculiarly, his first-class bowling record is far better than any of his spin bowling rivals in Australia, but thus far the national selectors have declined to employ him further. O’Keefe has made no secret of his desire to push for bigger honours, and he can make a start by performing capably here to back-up the 3-29 he took on his T20 debut for Australia against Pakistan in 2010.

Team news

Sri Lanka’s squad includes no fewer than six capable bowlers of spin, while the pace attack looks thin without Malinga, meaning Mathews or Nuwan Kulasekara can be expected to operate with the new ball. Aaron Finch is expected to be available having recovered from a rolled ankle suffered in training, and James Pattinson could be in line for a T20 debut.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Mahela Jayawardene, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Chamara Silva, 6 Jeevan Mendis, 7 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Suraj Randiv, 11 Suranga LakmalAustralia (probable): 1 David Warner, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Brad Haddin (wk), 4 David Hussey, 5 Cameron White (capt), 6 Shaun Marsh, 7 Steven Smith, 8 Steve O’Keefe, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Brett Lee, 11 James Pattinson

Pitch and conditions

The Australians have been delighted by a hint of pace in the Kandy practice wickets and are hopeful for more of the same from the match strip. The Sri Lankans have trained in the evening to prepare for any moisture that may be present for a 7pm start.

Stats and trivia

• This is Australia’s first T20 international in Sri Lanka
• It is also the first such fixture at the Pallekelle International Stadium
• Sri Lanka’s captain Dilshan is the oldest man on either side at 34, shading the Australian fast bowler Brett Lee by a little more than a month
• Dilshan will be looking for a greater share of his team’s runs, having made a meagre 23 in the five ODIs against England

Quotes

“Australian usually play very hard. They may be a bit inexperienced. But they are tough opponents.”

“Definitely I think the way a series should be run, or a tour should be run, is that you start with your Twenty20s, then your one-dayers and then your Test matches.”

Even though the Premier League title race is still in Manchester City’s hands, fans aren’t getting ahead of themselves as they realise it could suddenly change at any moment. That’s just Manchester City. Typical City. 

The quality of the Sky Blues’ team is well-known and it could be on for securing the domestic treble this season.

When thinking of improvements that could possibly be made at the Eithad, it is very hard to think right off the bat. Still, a constant position of concern for the Citizens this season has been left-back, a role in which as many as four different players have been used in.

In a solution to end the drama and unpredictability of who might play there, City should go ahead and splash the cash on Real Betis wing-back Junior Firpo.

Firpo, (who is valued at £22.5 million on Transfermarkt) is a player that Manchester City have been linked (as per the Mirror) with for a while and this summer could finally be the moment in time where the two join together. Benjamin Mendy is clearly a top-class player but with him being injured too much, City have had to turn to Fabian Delph and Oleksandr Zinchenko again this season.

Not ideal, obviously.

For a club of their quality, Man City should at least have two brilliant options in every role, something Junior Firpo would provide. A young, dynamic and tactically adept option down the left, it could be a game-changing addition.

The 22-year-old has been exceptional in the games he has played for Betis this season, going on to provide three goals and three assists in all competitions. He’s jet-heeled, full of tenacity and confidence and, most importantly, has the ability to make him fit right in at Manchester City.

Do you agree Man City should explore the possibility of signing Junior Firpo once again? Join the discussion and let us know!

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It looks like Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham United are going to face a battle to keep homegrown hero Declan Rice in the summer after The Sun revealed interest in the player from Manchester United.

What’s the word, then?

United are reportedly lining up the 20-year-old as part of a sensational swoop for multiple England players in the summer transfer window, the other targets being Jadon Sancho, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire.

Out of the four, Rice, who is reportedly valued at £40 million, and Sancho are said to be top of the list.

Having made his senior debut on the last day of the 2016/2017 season under Slaven Bilic, Rice has remained in the senior fold for the best part of two years with 64 appearances and two goals, racking up senior international appearances with the Republic of Ireland and now England.

Listen up Gold and Sullivan, no more feeder club

After a turbulent few years, Hammers co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan seem to have worked their way back into the fan base’s good books, helped by improvements to the London Stadium and better fortunes on the pitch in Pellegrini’s first campaign.

Selling Rice, especially to a Premier League rival like Man United – for a fee or just £40 million would tarnish their rising reputation.

Should, for example, the West Ham bigwigs sanction a £100 million move to Barcelona, they might be forgiven.

Who is your club’s worst ever January signing? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have picked theirs in the video below and they didn’t disappoint…

However, selling him to a team so close to home is something the Claret & Blue Army simply wouldn’t stand for – it would be a suicidal move by Gold and Sullivan, ruining the trust that has been built up of late.

Rice’s absence would certainly be felt on the field in a huge way, but perhaps even more so off it in regard to his relationship with the supporters.

The Hammers faithful loved watching Rice make his Three Lions debut the international break and historic frustrations of their beloved West Ham being a feeder club have been forgotten by most.

It needs to stay that way.

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According to Sky Sports, Lee Bowyer is keen to speak to QPR about taking the manager role, although neither he nor Charlton have been approached by the R’s yet.

The reports come in the wake of The Evening Standard breaking the news that QPR were looking at the former Newcastle and Leeds midfielder as a candidate to take the helm at Loftus Road, so there is understandably some concern amongst the Addicks faithful that there could be some truth in it.

Bowyer has done a fantastic job since being appointed permanent manager in September 2018 and has guided the London outfit to the League One play-off places despite ongoing uncertainty surrounding his and a number of the players’ futures.

Watch the best fails from the world of indoor football in the video below…

The 42-year-old is emerging as one of the brightest young managers in England this season and he surely fits the bill for QPR, although it would be a huge shock if he was to ditch Charlton now, when they are so close to Wembley and possible promotion.

Here’s what the Valley faithful had to say on Twitter…

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The north London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal ended in a 1-1 draw at Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon. An early Aaron Ramsey strike was cancelled out by a second half Harry Kane penalty.

The scoreline could have been much higher had it not been for both of the goalkeepers on the pitch. Spurs’ captain and No. 1 Hugo Lloris saved a last minute penalty from Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. At the other end of the pitch, the Gunners’ shot-stopper Bernd Leno pulled off a magnificent double save to deny Christian Eriksen and Moussa Sissoko.

The Arsenal ‘keeper had a good game all round, and will be furious to have lost his clean sheet to the penalty. Since his arrival at the Emirates Stadium in the summer, the 26-year-old ‘keeper has gradually grown in stature. The German is now Unai Emery’s established No. 1 and looks to be a reliable first choice for the north London club to have.

After the match on Saturday plenty of Arsenal fans took to Twitter to praise the 6-cap Germany international for his impressive performance…

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Robert Snodgrass has been a man rejuvenated at West Ham United this season.

Manuel Pellegrini has placed his faith in the Scotland international on Monday night and Snodgrass played 90 minutes, capping what has already been an exceptional season.

On the chalkboard

Snodgrass had previously struggled to make his mark in east London.

Signed from Hull City in 2017, for a fee of £10.2million, Snodgrass spent the 2017-18 season on loan at Aston Villa.

It appeared for some time that he would remain with the Championship club but he has been given a new lease of life under Pellegrini.

Check out the video below to see how Brazil fans reacted to being asked how Cristiano Ronaldo would perform for them in a hilarious prank by Pl>ymaker FC…

The Chilean has placed his faith in the 31-year-old, handing him 24 appearances in the Premier League, and he has scored two goals and provided three assists.

His selfless performance against Jurgen Klopp’s side, as he routinely dropped deep to create space for others, was one of his best of the season so far – he played four key passes and also had a pass completion rate of 83 per cent.

Emblematic of Pellegrini’s reign

Pellegrini has continually showed that he can improve players.

Lukasz Fabianski, in goal, is enjoying perhaps the best season of his career, Felipe Anderson has unlocked his potential to become a match-winner and Marko Arnautovic, before his flirtation with China, has proved that he is perhaps the best striker outside of the top six.

Snodgrass has been a major beneficiary too.

Under previous managers he may well have been sold on – he is 31 and there will be few opportunities to sell him on and receive a transfer fee.

But Pellegrini has kept the midfielder around and continues to reap the rewards of another smart decision in the dugout.

[ad_pod ]Newcastle visit West Ham on Saturday where they will be hoping they can secure a third consecutive win having dispatched Huddersfield last week and then Burnley on Tuesday. Rafa Benitez surely made at least one selection decision with the thicket of fixtures in mind, but one man’s performance will have given him some food for thought.

On the chalkboard

Rafa and his Magpies squad seem to have struck gold with their 5-4-1 approach, with January signing Miguel Almiron already looking like being the final piece in the jigsaw and a perfect balance between defensive solidity and attacking potency having been found.

The key to success with such a formation is often the wing-backs, who are tasked with providing width but also preventing the centre-backs from being exposed.

Fortunately, Rafa has a plethora of options to choose from in that role and, while prior to the Clarets clash this may not have been the case, the Spaniard has been given a tough decision to make on the right for the next game.

Mighty Manquillo

DeAndre Yedlin seems like the perfect fit for the right-wing-back role – perhaps only due to his blinding pace – but Tuesday’s game saw Javier Manquillo deputise for the USA international.

The former Liverpool man recorded some impressive numbers in the win, completing 2 tackles and 2 clearances, as well as an assist – should Rafa give the sometimes suspect Spaniard the nod for a second consecutive game despite what the fans have made of his past performances?

Yedlin offers far more on the front foot and, due to his speed, may be a better match for Hammers danger man Felipe Anderson, although the 58-cap international’s defensive positioning can sometimes leave a lot to be desired. Manquillo’s latest showing, though, may have earned Rafa’s repaid faith and he is far better physically.

Have the new Newcastle home and away kits for next season accidentally been leaked? See for yourself in the video below…

One presumes that Rafa intends to rotate his wing-backs again this weekend to keep his XI fresh but perhaps he should leave 24-year-old Manquillo in after his fine performance in midweek.

South Africa’s bowlers will have to make strident improvements ahead of the second Test against Australia in Adelaide, according to vice-captain AB de Villiers. The visiting attack, talked about as the best in the world, managed just four wickets to Australia’s 14 on an unresponsive pitch in Brisbane and will be under close scrutiny in the second fixture.”The bowlers can get better and they know they can,” de Villiers said. “We had chances [at the Gabba] and we just didn’t take them. There were a lot of edges and 50-50 chances didn’t go our way.”He also admitted what the bowling coach Allan Donald had suggested during the match – that the usually clinical South African attack became complacent after they made early inroads. “When we had them 40 for 3 I thought there was an opportunity to run through them,” de Villiers said. “It is a bit of a worry, but you’re not always going to bowl out a team for 150 and 200. Sometimes you have to work hard for that.”While such a statement is hardly revolutionary, South Africa have become used to slicing through their opposition. Since playing Australia in November 2011, they have beaten Sri Lanka at home and New Zealand and England away. The current Australian batting line-up is arguably the best South Africa have faced over the last year.Against more stubborn batsmen though, a different approach is needed. In his column for ESPNcricinfo, Ian Chappell accused South Africa’s bowlers of lacking imagination and waiting for Australia to make mistakes. He argued it was a tactic that was unlikely to work against good sides, like the one led by Michael Clarke.Ed Cowan and Clarke put on a fourth-wicket stand of 259 runs before Michael Hussey and Clarke combined for 228 runs to give the attack their worst day at the office since Colombo 2006. Then, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene were in the midst of compiling their 624-run record partnership.It did not get that bad in Brisbane but South Africa conceded more than four runs to the over and spent the entire fourth day without any of the bowlers taking a wicket. The only one to fall, Cowan, came through a run-out and de Villiers suggested a hard lesson had been learnt.”They sent a message that we have to work really hard to take wickets,” de Villiers said. “This attack of ours has performed on flat decks before. These are just two really world-class batting line-ups, and the bowlers are going to have to work really hard on what seem to be flat decks to take wickets.”The most recent example of that was at The Oval in July. South Africa took 20 wickets while England managed only two on a similarly batsmen-friendly surface. De Villiers believes that ability to repeat that remains and even peeped out at times in Brisbane.”We beat the bat a hell of a lot on the evening of the third day and the morning of the fourth,” he said. “It looks pretty but it’s not effective. For a really good attack to beat the bat that much and not take wickets is disappointing. But what can you do – we’re talking about millimetres.”Glaringly absent from the wickets column was Vernon Philander, whose run of 61 wickets in 11 Tests had to reach its end at some point. Philander is wicket-less in Australia so far. He did not claim any in the tour match at the SCG or in the first Test but de Villiers hoped he may just be waiting to pounce when it matters.”He’s not a concern,” de Villiers said. “His record speaks for itself. The games he was won for us in the past have been the big games, and we’re looking forward to the big game in Adelaide.”Philander is not solely to blame, though. The make-up of the attack also contributed to South Africa’s downfall. They went into the match with an all-pace battery of four seamers and were hopeful that JP Duminy’s part-time offspin would provide rest for the quicks.When Duminy was injured after the first day’s play, South Africa found themselves without a holding bowler. De Villiers, coach Gary Kirsten and assistant coach Russell Domingo all said they favoured the inclusion of a frontline spinner in a Test XI and de Villiers indicated the team will return to that strategy.”I wouldn’t say we made a mistake [in Brisbane] because I honestly don’t think the spinners played a big part,” he said. “I thought we made the right decision to play Rory [Kleinveldt]. It will be different here. We know it takes a bit of turn. It’s more like the traditional Test wicket where it’s a good wicket for a few days, then it starts turning a bit and then probably gets a bit up and down. I’m not going to pick the team now, but I’d say we will definitely go with a spinner.”That will mean changing the XI immediately, something South African sides of old were reluctant to do. They reached No.1 through consistent selection but may need to make adjustments to their XI as they look to stay there. De Villiers said they are willing to be critical of themselves, especially when they have underperformed.”We weren’t that happy with our performance which is always a good sign,” he said. “We are the No.1 team in the world, and for the No.1 team to say they can improve is a really good thing.”

Chris Sutton has reacted to Celtic’s 2-1 win over Aberdeen on Twitter.The Bhoys legend – who scored 24 goals in 64 appearances for the club – took to his Twitter account after goals from Callum McGregor and Kristoffer Ajer secured all three points for Neil Lennon’s men against Aberdeen on Saturday.

It looked like the match would be ending in a score-draw after Ash Taylor equalised in the 27th minute, although Ajer found the back of the net with just nine minutes remaining to maintain the Scottish giant’s perfect start to 2020 – they have won all nine of their games since the turn of the year.

It means Lennon’s side went 13 points clear of Rangers before Steven Gerrard’s men kicked off in their game against Livingston – the Gers have a mountain to climb if they want to wrestle the title back from Celtic Park.

You can see what Sutton wrote on Twitter following the victory below:

In other news, these fans have hammered this “competition winner” who is the “worst player in a Celtic shirt in years”…